NASHVILLE -- The Phillies acquired a center fielder Thursday and while the cost was not high in terms of dollars, it was substantial in terms of the players they surrendered for Minnesota's Ben Revere.

Phillies acquire Revere for Worley and May

Bob Brookover, Inquirer Columnist

Posted:
Thursday, December 6, 2012, 1:27 PM

NASHVILLE -- The Phillies acquired a center fielder Thursday and while the cost was not high in terms of dollars, it was substantial in terms of the players they surrendered for Minnesota's Ben Revere.

The Twins received righthanders Vance Worley and Trevor May from the Phillies. Worley finished third in the National League rookie of the year voting in 2011 and May was considered the team's best pitching prospect at the start of last season.

In Revere, the Phillies receive a former first-round draft pick who can play all three outfield positions. He did not commit an error in 282 chances last season. The 24-year-old Revere's game is all about speed because he has almost zero power. The left-handed hitter has not hit a home run in 1,064 career at-bats over three big-league seasons. He had five home runs in 1,755 minor-league plate appearances.

"I think we were dealing from a position of strength because of the young arms we have been developing in our system," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said as he prepared to board a flight back to Philadelphia. "We gave up a lot for this player, but we acquired a player who is under our control and can do a lot of things for us."

Revere could be a top-of-the-order hitter capable of wreaking havoc on the bases. He had a .326 batting average and .383 on-base percentage in the Twins' minor-league system and batted .294 in 553 plate appearances with the Twins last season. He also stole 40 base in 49 attempts and scored 70 runs. He can hit either first or second in the order.

"He could hit at the top of the order or the bottom of the order," Amaro said. "We got him for his defense, but he can hit, too."

Revere will not be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2013 season and he will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2017 season, so his cost in terms of salary is certainly appealing to the Phillies, who balked at the idea of paying a huge contract to free agents like Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton.

"We still have plenty of flexibility monetarily to try to piece the rest of this thing together," Amaro said.

Worley, 25, had gone from a fringe prospect at the start of 2010 to a valued member of a star-studded rotation in 2011. He finished third in the rookie of the year voting that year after posting an 11-3 record and 3.01 ERA. He was unable to repeat that success in 2012 as he went 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA before being shut down late in the year with a bone spur that was surgically removed.

With Worley's departure, it's possible the Phillies could be in the market for a veteran free agent to join their rotation. Some possible names to watch for are Shaun Marcum, John Lannan and Edwin Jackson.

"We could go either way to fill the other spot," Amaro said. "We could go outside the organization or inside the organization. Jonathan Pettibone is close. Tyler Cloyd will be in the mix."

The four definite starters in the rotation are Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick.

May, a 23-year-old righthander, was considered the best pitching prospect in the Phillies organization after Jarred Cosart was traded to Houston in 2011. He was also the 69th ranked prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America before last season. But the righthander struggled through most of last season, posting a 10-13 record and a 4.87 ERA at double-A Reading.